But the moment he turned to face him in surprise, all those swirling thoughts dissolved in an instant.
Because there was Justyn, stealing his entire field of vision with that faint, relaxed smile.
A face you’d only see when someone is surrounded by everything they love, by people and things they truly adore. Even a complete stranger seeing him for the first time would think the same.
The memory of the night before resurfaced—completely unbidden, completely unstoppable.
Ries squeezed his eyes shut. That fluttering sensation, like butterflies stirring in his gut, had reached all the way to his fingertips.
How do I even describe this…?
It felt like a long time passed before he finally came up with the right word.
Wicked.
Yes. Wicked. Devastatingly wicked.
A word that might make some people faint or foam at the mouth, but no matter how many times he thought about it, there was no better fit.
Behind Justyn, he could almost see the faint outline of a woman’s figure, hazy and translucent—like a ghost of approval. She had her thumb pointed straight up, clearly proud of her son’s “achievement.”
Completely oblivious to the storm he’d stirred in someone else’s head, Justyn opened his mouth again. The fingers slowly interlacing with Ries’s were impossibly deliberate and intimate.
“I just worry others might pay too much attention to you. Unwanted attention, that is.”
“U-uh? What? Who would?”
“The retainers who attend the meetings.”
“Ah. R-right. Those people.”
It took him a beat too long to catch on.
His mind had been so cluttered that he’d completely forgotten what they’d been talking about just moments ago. It wasn’t until now that he realized this was all still part of the “Can I come with you?” conversation from earlier.
As he nodded in understanding, Justyn brought up a familiar name.
“Do you remember Baron Embio?”
“Yeah, of course. He’s not someone you forget easily…”
Ries’s expression instantly soured.
There were only a handful of people at the estate who’d left a strong impression on him. Mostly Melissa, since she’d been glued to his side as his escort, and a few servants who used to give him snacks whenever they crossed paths.
Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—Baron Embio was one of them. Ries remembered vividly the day he first saw the man at the retainer’s meeting.
I thought his eyes were gonna pop out of his skull.
It wasn’t just his behavior—it was that disturbingly gleeful gleam in his eye, like a kid discovering a new toy. Even in hindsight, that gaze was unbearably creepy.
And suddenly, Ries understood why Justyn didn’t want him tagging along.
“Baron Embio runs a trading company. He’s quick with numbers, sharp, and observant. He’s also the one who arranged the deal with the mage who made your clothes. If he keeps interacting with you…”
Justyn’s voice trailed off, but it wasn’t hard to guess the rest.
“…Then forget it. I take it back. Guess I’m better suited for waving goodbye from the gate.”
“A wise decision.”
Ries withdrew his request immediately. He had zero interest in getting entangled in a hassle.
Justyn’s visible relief was almost comical. If Ries peeled back the mask, he was sure the corners of that mouth would be tugged up in a smug little smile.
Imagining that face made him feel oddly giddy. Ries scooted closer, and without waiting for a question, started chattering away.
He told Justyn all about his earlier conversation with Melissa, how he’d almost blown his cover, and how Sefiut had inconveniently vanished just when he was needed most.
Apparently, Sefiut had acquired a taste for treats and was now going around mooching every new dessert created in the estate.
If people didn’t worship him as a fairy, they’d probably call him a possessed ragdoll and kick him out.
He’d thought it before, but he really was curious—who was the one who first spread that “fairy” rumor, anyway?
That flicker of curiosity quickly faded, however, replaced by another sudden thought.
“The family elders… what if Marquess Marilon’s pulling strings behind the scenes?”
Just like that, the topic swung back to Melissa again. But this time, the suspicion wasn’t unfounded.
Didn’t they say that bastard and Marquess Marilon have been meeting often?
Birds of a feather, as the saying goes. Ries furrowed his brow. They did seem awfully chummy. Maybe the marquess was influencing the family’s succession battle from the shadows.
But Justyn seemed skeptical.
“That’s a hard sell. To get involved in another family’s succession crisis like that, Marilon would need to invest a lot of money and effort. And frankly, the Yukalt family doesn’t have much to offer in return.”
The House of Yukalt wasn’t wealthy. Their estate was distant from the capital, devoid of any strategic value, and not particularly strong militarily.
“And it’s not like he’d be doing it for political gain, either. Both houses already support the Imperial Family, so there’s no reason for him to try and court them.”
In short, there was no point wasting that kind of effort on such a middling noble house.
“Besides, if he were meddling, now would be the time for them to be meeting more frequently than ever. But ever since you brought it up, their meetings have actually slowed down. Still… I’ll tell someone to keep an eye on the elders, just in case.”
His logic was too airtight. At this rate, Ries felt like some tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorist, so he quickly shook his head.
“No, that’s fine. I was probably just overthinking it.”
“It was a good hypothesis. Don’t let it get to you.”
“Wasn’t upset.”
“Then I’m glad.”
Justyn reached out and gently ran his hand through Ries’s hair. Whether it was meant to soothe, comfort, or praise, it didn’t matter.
Ries leaned into him, grinning for no reason. The warm fuzziness got to him again—and this time, he couldn’t stop himself from blurting something ridiculous.
“What if he didn’t need money or effort? If someone just told him ‘Do this,’ and he did it without question?”
“…Hmm.”
“Sorry. Ignore that. I was rambling. Don’t take it seriously or anything.”
But of course, Justyn was already pondering it seriously. That was part of his charm, sure—but Ries really didn’t want to give him more things to worry about, so he quickly cut him off.
A comfortable silence followed. Soft air, a breeze slipping in through the windows, warm skin against his hand— Nothing about this moment was unpleasant.
Fidgeting with his fingers, Ries traced the warmth of their touch and let out a breathless little laugh.
“He’d do anything without complaint if told to”… huh?
Now that he thought about it, that sounded like something out of a fantasy or a novel. As if any mere human, no matter how powerful, could completely control another person like that.
***
It was a day like any other. If there was anything out of the ordinary, it was the intensity of one particular gaze that refused to let up.
Sigh.
The exaggerated sigh coming from right across the desk had long since become background noise.
The pile of performative paperwork lay untouched, merely opened for show. And Ries, the source of that unrelenting gaze, simply rested his chin on one hand and stared at the man in front of him.
His thoughts drifted back to their earlier discussion about the Yukalt family. …Though honestly, not much had come of it. Their investigation yielded little, and the curse situation remained stagnant.
But there was one thing that had turned into a habit— Observing Justyn.
He looks like he’s in good shape today.
Ries would spend all day watching him, and by evening, come to that conclusion.
And it was all thanks to that damn curse. He remembered what Sefiut had said once, rattling off like it was nothing.
—You know what curses feed on best? Emotions. Their host’s feelings.
The more Justyn got swallowed up in negative emotions, the more the curse would exploit it. Under normal circumstances, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so bad. But considering what had happened recently, it was impossible not to worry.
It hasn’t been that long since Hillein passed.
Someone who tears up in their sleep can’t possibly be okay.
—Ugh. People really do resemble the ones they love. You two are hopeless.
That’s what Sefiut had muttered, shaking his head after hearing all this. He claimed everything was being handled just fine, that Ries was worrying too much.
And Ries knew that. But hearts don’t clean themselves up that easily.
Ever since he’d acknowledged his feelings and started being honest with himself, those tendencies had only gotten stronger.
Is this how Justyn felt back then?
He recalled the way Justyn’s red eyes always carried that constant flicker of anxiety.
His gaze shifted briefly to the stiff hand holding the pen. Lately, he found himself thinking—
Even if I never remember my past life… maybe that’s okay.
The faint silvery-grey of his eyes traced the beginning of this life.
Back then, he’d still had some awareness of being human and vague fragments of memory. But now, most of it had faded.
What remained were basic common sense, and occasionally, random odd words that probably came from overuse in a previous life.
But I’m not scared.
Had he realized this not long after opening his eyes in this world, the instinctive fear might’ve been overwhelming.
But not now. Because of the man right in front of him.
As if drawn by the thought, their eyes met— A perfect, almost surreal coincidence.
Startled, Justyn’s red gaze wavered slightly.
But Ries’s own eyes didn’t budge.
He already had Justyn. He already had a home to return to.
That was more than enough reason not to be afraid.
“…Mmh.”
And just like that, Ries suddenly wanted to be closer to him.
He glanced at the desk covered in paperwork—only for a moment. Nothing looked urgent.
So, without hesitation, he gave in to the impulse.
